their own place
by kathleenfergie
Summary: Her "own place" turns out to be the west wing of Regina's manor. AU. Oneshot.


yeah i really don't know what this is. was going to originally be like emma and regina heart to heart about henry but my mind went to like regina and emma kind of sort of becoming friends? or like emma just thinking about like shit. it doesn't end that eloquently but i tried.

i change a lot of things, it's very au (just bc i don't know what the fuck is going to happen in later episodes). go with it. let it happen.

yeah, i don't own anything. never do.

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><p>Her "own place" turns out to be the west wing of Regina's manor and she has a hallway of rooms, closets, and two bathrooms to herself. There's a back entrance with a stairwell that leads her to them on the third floor, so that she doesn't track mud all the way through Regina's foyer, and she enters there most nights after leaving the station, Killian trailing after her.<p>

Regina makes no comments about the pirate's presence each morning when he sips his coffee at her granite counter, only reminds him to wash his mug and refrain from scratching anything. He isn't always there, sometimes at Granny's or the harbour's small workshop, working on something or other.

She knows how dearly he misses the Jolly (though he will always make it clear that he has had no second thoughts about all that) and he spends his days taking care of the small number of vessels that make port there. He takes Henry sailing every weekend and she thinks it's good for the both of them. Killian has hurt in his heart over the loss of Neal (both as a boy and a man), and so he tries to make up for it by being a better mentor for Henry.

Neither of them are at the manor this particular evening, Henry is at his grandparents' and Killian has taken to weekly outings to the Rabbit Hole with Robin and Will Scarlet (the two warmed to each other after Killian apologized for almost beating the shit out of him)(twice). Regina is somewhere, doing whatever it is the woman does in her spare time.

Emma is alone in Regina's pristine kitchen, a glass of rum in her hand (Killian buys the good stuff nowadays), perched on a bar stool. Without anyone around, the loneliness tends to set into Emma, and makes her head fill with thoughts she usually blocks out in her daily routine. She's quite happy, yes, but so much has happened in the past five years that she's never really been able to process, and these moments alone all she can do is think.

She misses Elsa, who after helping to defeat the Snow Queen months ago, has gone back to the realms with her sister, and she wishes the blonde was still here. She never had time for friends after the curse broke, the relationship she'd had with Mary Margaret changing drastically, and so she misses the companionship. Emma's never been one for the touchy-feely kind of friendships, but Elsa was always there with a smile or a warm hand against her arm when she needed it. Before the queen had left, the two of them had hugged for what felt like centuries.

Emma had liked Elsa because she was kind and honest, and knew how Emma felt about a lot of things, but the Saviour understood the need for Elsa to return to Arendelle. Presumably, Anna's fiancé was still frozen (not in the terminal way as Marian had been, more like cryogenically) and the two had a kingdom to pick up.

Emma thinks about Regina next, the once named Evil Queen, who now spent her days flushing out her vault, restoring her apple tree, and altogether avoiding Robin Hood, who for the better part of the last year has been mourning his wife (there was nothing they could do, not even once Ingrid was dead). The forlorn former mayor didn't need any more pressure in her life, truly.

Henry spent a lot more time with her, though, and that softened her quite a bit. Between quipping at Emma and Killian, and making sure Henry got through his first year of high school, Regina wasn't that bad to be around. It certainly helped that she and Emma had become more friendly (not friends, Regina will clarify), but they mothered Henry side by side well enough.

There's only been a few times where they have disagreed fully on the other's opinions for Henry, but after lots of yelling and a few magical outbursts, the two usually settled on compromise. Killian was very adept at gauging when the pair of mothers was about to explode, so he usually ushered the boy out, pulling smooth excuses out of his ass.

Henry doesn't comment on the lack of vases in their house anymore.

Emma likes Regina, behind all the sass and fire, she isn't a bad housemate and she doesn't expect Emma to always be the Saviour, to always be okay and in charge, in control. Around Regina is where Emma feels like she can just spew her thoughts and anger without receiving interruptions and comments she doesn't need. Killian's affirmation and her parents' love help in special situations, but Emma really just needs to let go of some steam every once and a while, and her audience for that is Regina.

Regina also helps her with her magic, still. Even after Emma decided to keep it, she still wasn't skilled enough when practicing (Regina tells her the 'point and think' method isn't always going to work, not even with light magic) and on days that she feels motivated, the two end up in the backyard, Emma harnessing things she still doesn't really understand.

She gets better, Regina tells her, and when the monster of the week presents itself they are usually side by side. The two of them had melted the ice wall, alongside Elsa, and although begrudgingly, Regina did spent quite a lot of time helping Emma rebuild things that were more or less destroyed in the final showdown. They had too many of those for Emma to keep track, all she knew was that they never ended cleanly.

Regina, with her abundance of free time, also was often tasked with babysitting little Neal (she laughed quite hard when Snow first asked her, her former step-daughter rolling her eyes) and some nights Emma would come home to Regina smiling, bouncing him on her lap, fluttering a toy in front of his face. She thinks of her fake New York memories, and wonders if this is the mother Regina was to Henry before everything changed.

Slowly, Regina starts getting out more, taking walks at night, or going to Granny's with Henry every other afternoon, sometimes accompanied by Emma. Other days, the two mothers go on their own outings, grabbing coffee or practicing magic somewhere else (though thankfully not a collapsing bridge).

She doesn't know how she does it, but Emma somehow cajoles Regina into a night at the Rabbit Hole (she'd bribed Killian with naughty things to get him to make sure Robin would be there), the brunette uncomfortably drinking her scotch.

Regina knew what was going on the second Killian walked in, and though tempted, she refrains from throwing her drink in Emma's face and leaving. She orders a stronger drink and eventually Robin is beside her on a stool, his soft face, complete with endearing smile lines, staring at her. They aren't doing anything but looking at each other, but Regina has lost track of Emma so she lets the kind thief walk her home.

Emma notices Regina is happier in the coming months, and soon Robin is staying over as well, Roland camping out with Henry, and Emma is drowning in testosterone, but it's good for Regina to have them around. Roland absolutely loves Henry, anyway, so the excuse that the boy needs a brother figure is always on the tip of Regina's defensive tone.

Killian cracks a joke after a couple glasses of rum that him and Emma would get right on that and Emma causes his liquor bottle to explode. Regina laughs wickedly at the Saviour's discomfort and Killian sleeps in a guest room that night.

It isn't perfect, but Emma is happy and she thinks that she is glad "her own place" wasn't another lonely apartment.


End file.
